Aaron Gordon had the greatest dunk in Slam Dunk Contest history

I’m just going to come out and say it: Aaron Gordon’s dunk this weekend was the greatest dunk in the history of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. That’s it. End of discussion. And he has every right to be furious with the judges.

Before we get to the whole screwed-over-by-the-judges thing, though, let’s talk about this dunk. I don’t even know how to describe this dunk. A friend asked me about it this weekend and I just stammered: “Um, he was like … well, there was a mascot, and he was holding the ball, and then Gordon jumped over him, but like, he sat over him … like he sat in the air, over him … and he put the ball under his legs. He was floating. I just, let me get my phone out … you can’t … I don’t …”

This dunk turned me into a mumbling lunatic. I am a fluent English speaker, one who writes for a living, and I don’t have enough grasp over the language to properly describe this dunk.

It’s the single most inventive, athletically impossible thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve watched the dunk 32 times and I’m still not sure how he did it.

Here’s the thing with the dunk, too — it wasn’t just showmanship for showmanship’s sake. Yes, it used the mascot, but this isn’t like Dwight Howard putting on a cape and doing a dunk we’ve all seen 100 times. Gordon did something none of us had ever seen before. It was something that none of us even thought was possible.

He had the showmanship, but he also expanded our idea of what was possible in a dunk. He pushed the entire art of dunking forward. This was a breakthrough. This was progress. This was art.

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

It also makes the fact that he didn’t win so infuriating and strange. Dikembe Mutombo has gotten roasted for not giving Gordon a 10 on the dunk, as he should have. And I know the contest went to overtime, and Gordon lost there. But I don’t care. The judges should have made it so he won. Adam Silver should have stepped in and given it to Gordon. President Obama should have made a call, issued an executive order. This is history being written incorrectly.

Zach LaVine’s dunks were good. They were fine. But come on. Gordon gave us a masterpiece this weekend. We can at least give him whatever dumb trophy the winner of this thing gets, whether it follows the rules of the dunk contest or not.

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